


The Lightning Thief

by kpoptrashaf



Series: The Heroes of Olympus, the Gods, and Goode High the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus Books [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Annabeth Chase - Freeform, Calypso - Freeform, Canon Relationships, Fluff, Frank Zhang - Freeform, Gen, Gods of Olympus, Hazel Levesque - Freeform, Heroes of Olympus, HoO - Freeform, Jiper, Nico di Angelo - Freeform, PJO, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Freeform, Reading the Books, Rick Riordan - Freeform, Will Solace - Freeform, caleo - Freeform, frazel - Freeform, jason - Freeform, jasper - Freeform, leo valdez - Freeform, nm, no mist, paul blofis - Freeform, percabeth, percy jackson - Freeform, piper mclean - Freeform, sally jackson - Freeform, sally jackson-blofis - Freeform, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-22 00:32:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7411343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kpoptrashaf/pseuds/kpoptrashaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war against Gaea is over, and the Seven along with Grover, Thalia, Nico, and Reyna just want to sleep for at least five days straight. However, Chiron tells them they should finish school, so they separate and go back to schools hoping for a calm year. They should have known that the Fates would have different plans for them...</p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>By the way, I’m changing when Percy disappears, just in this story… Instead of him disappearing during winter break, he disappeared after the second month of sophomore year after the Titan war. That way, the people at Goode will have wondered where he was more than if he disappeared during a break, which would have been more likely for a mortal. The story takes place close to the beginning of what would be Percy’s junior year in high school if he didn’t disappear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Going Back To School

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work, so please don't kill me if my writing isn't too good.  
> Plus, if you haven't read the entire PJO and HOO series, there will be spoilers. There possibly may be references to the Magnus Chase series and the Kane Chronicles.  
> This is as though the entire Trials of Apollo didn't happen.  
> Percy has a bromance with Hermes and Apollo. He doesn't get as annoyed by Apollo as he does in the books and thinks of Hermes less as a friend's dad and more as a friend.  
> The Fates are less "scary-old-women" and more "playful-old-fangirl-women" because I am utterly convinced they are closet hardcore Percabeth shippers, which is why Percy and Annabeth have lived so long.  
> And there may or may not be tiny little references to the Korean wave. Not big enough that you can't understand the story, but little ones that people who are kpop trash (like me lol) might be able to see.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after the war against Gaea ends?

Percy P.O.V.

Finally. The war with Gaea was _finally_ over. Leo came back from exploring the world (and scaring us to death) with Calypso in hand. The drama seemed to be over. Maybe for once, just once, I can relax and enjoy the scenery at camp with my beautiful girlfriend without going on a stupid mission that almost gets us killed.

But no. Instead, we have to go back to prison. A.K.A. high school. To be honest, I think a quest would be more fun. High school is going to be torture. I think the only one out of all of us who is excited is Annabeth and that’s because she gets to take a course on Architecture and Geometry and how they relate, which she would probably drink up, knowing my Wise Girl. I mean, I did disappear from school for like a year, and I’ll have to make up a cover story to tell my friends and my other not-so-friendly classmates, but it’s not like I could tell my friends from Goode where I went… Yeah, that would go well. (Note the sarcasm - it’s important.) I imagined what it would go like… Probably something like _“Hey Percy, where’ve you been?” “Oh nowhere, just got kidnapped by a psycho goddess, got my memories wiped, then was chased for like two weeks straight by two crazy chicks with snakes for hair, then crossed a river, carrying said psycho goddess, where my iron skin (oh you know, the one I got by swimming in a river, so I could help defeat an unfriendly Titan) was washed away. Oh and then I went to new Rome and met a bunch of unfriendly Roman demigods (half-human and half-god), and one of them stole my stuffed panda so he could rip out its stuffed guts. Apparently, he’s some sort of an augur, the dude who tells the future. Then I met some friendly Roman demigods who I went on a quest with to Alaska, the land beyond the gods, made a bet with a blind ex-king, freed Death, killed an army of zombie warriors, rode on a horse for four hours from Alaska to California, which I gained my memories back on, said hi to my half-brother, who happens to be a cyclops, and then met my old friends, then went on another quest to save the world, then fell into Tartarus, which is basically Hell on steroids, met up with the only friendly Titan, then met his friend, the only friendly giant, then came through on the other side and closed the doors of death. Then I fought in a war in which my friends and I killed a huge monster army and Mother Earth, who just so happens to be evil. Basically I went from New York, to California (somehow, due to the psycho goddess), to places around the U.S., like Seattle, then to Alaska, back to California, then flew in a giant airship to the ancient lands, Greece, Rome, the Mediterranean, etc. Basically all over. Oh, and I was asleep for the first two months.” “Wait, what?”_

Yeah, no… that wouldn’t go down so well…

So, I am going to Goode, Annabeth and Grover are going to a boarding school near my mom’s apartment, Jason is going to a school near Camp Jupiter, Piper and Leo are going to a boarding school near his, Frank and Hazel are also going to a school near them, and Thalia, Reyna, and Nico are all going to a school near Camp Half-Blood. All the Seven, Thalia, Reyna, and Nico were made the “Heroes of Olympus” and we were going back to school. It seemed kind of unfair, but it was kind of worse for me than it was for the others, considering that I _did_ disappear (thanks to a certain goddess) for like a year (I lost count of time). But whatever, I can’t do anything about it… I’ll just hope to not be kicked out by the end of the school year and not attract much attention to myself… But of course, I do anyways. Drama follows me everywhere.


	2. Part 1: Beginning, Assembly, and Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing mortal friends, Goode High, the Heroes of Olympus, and "The Lightning Thief"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm not terribly good at writing Dx  
> Mianhe

Lola P.O.V. 

“Every day is a Goode day.” The amazingly original slogan of Goode High… Original, right? (Note the sarcasm.) At the beginning of sophomore year, I had a nice group of friends that consisted of a guy named Mark Oswin, another guy named Oliver Benson, two sisters named Lily and Isabelle, or Belle, Bruin, me, Lola Swenson, and a guy named Percy Jackson. 

After like two months of school, Percy just disappeared. He didn’t tell anyone where he went, and even his stepdad, Paul Blofis, didn’t seem to know where Percy was, and if he did, he kept it to himself, only saying something about Percy sorting something out with his dad’s side of the family. 

I don’t even know who Percy’s dad is or what he looks like, but I’m pretty sure Percy gets his looks from his dad’s side considering that he looks almost nothing like his birth mom, who I’ve met. According to Percy, his dad was lost at sea before he was even born although he held no resentment towards him. Percy was very mysterious but was known by the whole school for blowing up the band room during freshmen orientation then jumping out of the window. The people closer to him knew that it was the creepy cheerleader who did it though and blamed Percy for it, but he thought no one would believe him, so he didn’t even bother trying to defend himself. 

Now we’re in junior year, and the rest of my friends and I are still pretty close, but we argue a lot more than when Perce was with us. He was like our anchor that was stolen from us. We argue a lot, especially now that the Greek and Roman gods have revealed themselves and that they never stopped having affairs with mortals. It’s still sort of a new concept to me, but I am starting to accept it though the idea that monsters could come after me any moment was kind of freaky. 

“Lola, get outta my car,” Oliver said roughly, “Everyone else already got out. We’re at school.” 

“Right, sorry. I kinda forgot we were going to school.” 

Every day we all ride in Oliver’s car to school. Percy rode with us for the first few months of sophomore year until he disappeared. Even though he was only with us for a short while, he was one of the best friends we’ve ever had, and I think we can all agree on that unanimously. 

I walked into school, Mark, Oliver, Lily, and Belle with me. 

I turned into my hallway and said by to the rest of my friends, who all had lockers in separate hallways. I saw the back of a somewhat familiar-looking raven haired head in the hallway bent downwards facing the floor. I ran towards him, yelling, “Percy, is that you?” 

The guy turned around, and I blushed, embarrassed. “Sorry, I just thought you were Percy.” 

“The guy who disappeared last year?” 

“Yeah that dude. He was my friend.” 

He said, “Oh,” and turned around. Rude much? Someone tapped me on the shoulder. 

“What?” I asked without turning around. 

“Excuse me, I’m new. Can you show me to my locker,” a very, very familiar voice said from behind me. I slowly turned around as though it was a hallucination and that he would disappear. I looked up to see a familiar troublemaker smirk although there was a hint of sadness in it. 

“Oh. My. Gods. Percy, where in HADES have you been?” 

“Gods? Hades? Wait what?” Percy asked, looking thoroughly confused, which was a common look on his face. 

“Oh I forgot. The Greek and Roman gods revealed themselves while you were gone!” 

“What!” he exclaimed. Then he began speaking under his breath. All I could hear was, “...didn’t they tell...stupid...horse…” 

“Uh, Perce.” 

“Huh?” 

“WHERE IN TARTARUS HAVE YOU BEEN?" 

I saw him visibly flinch, I suppose at my loud tone, before answering, “I was traveling with my dad’s side of the family. We had to resolve an… issue. But anyways, really, can you show me to my locker? I kind of forgot where everything is.” 

I sighed. I knew I wouldn’t get a better answer out of him. “Sure. I’ll show you your locker.” 

He grinned. “Yay!” 

I looked around and realized that everyone was staring at Percy. I nudged him so he would quiet down a bit as everyone was staring at him, but he just turned to me, grinned, shrugged, and said, "Let's go!" 

****************************************************************************************************** 

Percy and I caught up with Mark, Oliver, Lily, and Belle, who all yelled at and hit Percy for freaking them out by disappearing. All he said was that it wasn’t his fault and that he couldn’t tell us because he didn’t even know until after it happened. Then the bell rang. We all went to our homerooms, which were all the same, Mr. Blofis’ room.  That was extremely good luck on our part, especially because Mr. Blofis was Percy’s stepdad and he would be relaxed again, now that Percy’s back. 

A kid who transferred halfway through last year, Vicky, who had blond hair and blue eyes, claimed to be a son of Zeus. A couple of other people claimed to be sons and daughters of different cool gods and goddesses, like Aphrodite, Athena, and Hecate. They seemed to be faking being demigods for popularity. It seemed to be working so far, which was kind of sad. Mr. Blofis would always get agitated when they would claim that they were demigods. 

After about 20 minutes of Vicky, who just had to be in our homeroom, annoying us with questions about the gods, the loudspeaker crackled to life. We were all surprised because the P.A. system was almost never used. Whenever it was, it was only to announce a lockdown drill. I heard the principal’s voice through the sound system, saying, “All students and faculty to the auditorium. I repeat, all students and faculty to the auditorium,” then it shut off. 

He sounded strangely…blank, without emotion, which was seriously unlike him. Our principal, a guy who actually, legally, changed his last name to Smiley, so he was George Smiley instead of George Connelly, was probably the happiest, most rambunctious (and weirdest) person I’ve ever met in my life. I just shrugged and began to make my way to the auditorium with my friends. 

****************************************************************************************************** 

In the auditorium, there were around fifteen strange people on the stage. Next to me, Percy groaned and bent his head down to stay low. 

“Hey Perce? Why are you trying to hide? Do you know those people on stage?” 

“No, I’m not trying to hide.” 

“Oh really?” 

“Yes really.” 

“So you wouldn’t mind if I jumped on Oliver’s back and screamed that you, Percy Jackson, were standing right here?” 

“Okay, okay. I know those people on stage and they know me. And yes, I am trying to hide from them.” 

Right after he said that, a blond teenager turned to us and looked straight at us with a blinding smile, then turned away, whispering into the ear of a younger teen girl with silver eyes. The teen girl smacked him on the back of the head and turned away, speaking to a person, a guy with electric blue eyes, black hair, and a beard, who looked like he was their leader. 

We got seated in the middle of the bleachers, where Percy was seemingly hoping to blend in. I didn’t tell him about the dude on stage who seemed to have seen him. He kept muttering stuff like, “...gods...see me...ever tells me...my school…,” and fidgeting around. 

The leader of the people on stage yelled, “Silence!” 

Everyone quieted down, as we all had felt the immense power in that one word. Percy slumped even lower in his seat. 

"As you all know, the Greek and Roman gods are real. We, the people on stage, are the Olympians. I am Zeus." 

'Uh huh's, 'really's and 'prove it's came from around the room. 

"SILENCE!" boomed Zeus (horrible pun intended) once again. I could have sworn I heard Percy mutter something about him being "such a drama queen". 

"We are the gods, and we will prove it," said the teen with blond hair that was looking at Perce earlier, and then the gods proceeded to put on a show that was kinda awesome but, in my opinion, rather showoff-y. 

Zeus then proceeded to label everyone with a name. The guy who saw us before was Apollo and the girl he was talking to was Artemis. 

The people in the room broke into hushed whispers. I stared at Percy. 

“How do you know them?” 

“Let’s just say that I got into a spot of trouble with them.” 

Zeus continued to speak, “We are here to read about a hero of this world, but first, I would like to ask two people up to the stage. First, is Vicky Thomas. Please come up to the stage.” 

Vicky, the supposed son of Zeus, walked up onto the stage with his head bowed a bit. He knelt at their feet and asked, “Yes, my lord?” 

He boomed, “You are the one who has been telling everyone that you are my son?” 

“Yes, my lord,” he said in a very small voice. 

“I have only one son. And he is most definitely not you. Go back to your seat. Anyone else who has claimed that they are children of us are not. All of our own children have stayed in hiding. The other person who we ask to come up onto the stage is Perseus Jackson.” 

Percy groaned. He called out, “But I don’t wanna!” 

Oliver elbowed him on his other side, and said, “You realize that these people are the gods, right? You should probably listen to them if you don’t want to die.” 

“Nah. They can’t kill me. I’ve saved their podexes too many times.” 

“Wait, what?” 

“Nothing,” he said to Oliver, grinning. Then, to the gods, he said louder, “I won’t do it.” 

Apollo grinned and said, “I’ll introduce you with haikus if you don’t come down here.” 

Percy paled and quickly said, “I’m coming. Just don’t start with the haikus. Please.” 

“They aren’t that bad,” Apollo said, pouting. 

“Oh yes they are,” Artemis butted in. 

"No one asked you." 

"No one asked you to answer." 

"You know, Lady Artemis is right," Percy said. 

“SHUT IT THE THREE OF YOU.” 

“Oh hush, Drama Queen.” 

By now, the whole school was staring at the four of them, Percy, Apollo, Artemis, and Zeus, and their interactions. Most of them thought Percy would be dead when he first called out to them disrespectfully, but he was still alive and kicking. Percy confused them now more then ever. First he went missing for a whole year, then he comes back, seems to know the gods personally, even speaks to them disrespectfully, and still stays alive! 

Percy P.O.V. 

I made my way onto the stage, bowed to dad, Aunt Hestia, Lady Athena, Lady Artemis, and Lord Hephaestus, and bro-hugged Hermes and Apollo. I said to Zeus, rather bluntly, “What do you want? It’s my vacation time if you didn’t notice. If you’re here to send me off on another…errand, then you’re sorely mistaken because I’m not going anywhere except maybe camp.” 

Zeus said, “Well, Perseus-” 

“Percy” 

“Well, Percy, we are not here to send you off on another…errand, but rather to read 10 books about your life.” 

“You have got to be kidding me.” 

“Nope. The Fates sent us here,” said Hermes. “I got a message from them along with the books and instructions in a letter.” 

“Let me read the letter.” 

 _Dear gods and goddesses on Olympus (and Percy),_  

 _We have orders from a higher authority,_ _who_ _you shall not know, to force you to do something. You shall all go to Percy’s school, that includes the new Olympians from the Titan war, tell everyone of this, stop Vicky Thomas and other people from acting like they are demigods, force Percy on stage, bring the rest of the Seven, Thalia, Nico, Rachel, and Reyna to the school, then begin reading the books. And the books will not be legible until you begin reading it aloud in front of the whole school, so, Athena and Hermes, don’t even think about stealing the books to read them ahead of time. Oh, and after you bring the rest of the demigods to Goode High, time will freeze outside, so you may not leave the school under no circumstances. If you try, you will be sent back to the auditorium and there will be consequences._  

 _Sincerely,_  

 _The Fates_  

“So,” I said, drawing out the o. “Bring my friends here, won’t you?” 

Dad snapped his fingers, and a bunch of people crashed and tangled in a heap together. I could make out Annabeth’s voice, along with Leo’s, Piper’s, Jason’s, and a couple other smushed up voices. 

“Gerroff me, Superman. You’re heavy.” 

“It’s all muscle, Leo! And anyways, Neeks is on top of me.” 

“Don’t call me Neeks! And anyways my legs are trapped under Beauty Queen!” 

“Don’t call me Beauty Queen! Just because I’m Aphrodite’s daughter…jeez. Hey what are we all doing together anyways?” 

“I don’t know Pipes.” 

“What? Annabeth doesn’t know something? It’s the end of the world! 

”Shut up Repair Boy.” 

“Should I untangle them?” Dad asked me. 

We looked at each other before shaking our heads and simultaneously saying, “Nah.” 

It took a while, but finally, my friends untangled themselves and stood up, brushing themselves off. Annabeth didn’t even worry about that and instead looked around. She first, confused, saw the many students in the auditorium, then turned her head and saw me, and the gods behind me. She opened her mouth in an o in realization. 

I said, “Hey, Wise Girl.” 

“Hey, Seaweed Brain.” 

I couldn’t stand it anymore and broke into a wide grin, running towards her. I reached her, kissed her and said, “It’s been too long.” 

“It has, hasn’t it?” 

Then, I remembered that we had an audience. I turned my head to the side and saw most of the crowd with their mouths dropped in shock. I could make out Oliver and Lola, who had made a bet on whether or not Annabeth was real when I told them about her. Lola had won because Annabeth was obviously real. The rest of my friends were staring shocked at us. I told the demigods (and satyr) what was going on and to introduce themselves, but just their names, no titles. The people who showed up were Annabeth (obviously), Grover, Thalia, Nico, Piper, Leo, Jason, Frank, Hazel, and last, but not least, Reyna. 

Zeus clapped his hands. I have never, ever seen him this giddy. He looked like a child who realized Christmas came early and Santa left him what he wanted most. He snapped his fingers, and a few sofas and thrones popped up on stage for the people (and gods) there. Zeus said, “Let’s get started, shall we?” 

When he said that, Hermes picked up a box that I didn’t notice before from behind his chair and handed Apollo the first book, called _The Lightning Thief_. 

Apollo said, “Okay, who wants to read first?” 

Reyna, who had always wondered what Percy’s life was like before they met, volunteered. 

“Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone notice anything about some of the names of Percy's mortal friends..........  
> Please subscribe, bookmark, and kudos if you liked it :)


	3. Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has begun....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I ship Percabeth so freaking much, so there may be a couple (a lot) of moments, just because.  
> Plus, now that there's no war going on (finally), maybe they can have more moments :)

3rd Person P.O.V. 

" **I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher** ," started Reyna 

"Will all the chapter names be like that?" asked Nico 

"Knowing Percy, yes," said Thalia. 

"How do you accidentally vaporize someone?" asked Leo. 

"Again, knowing Percy, you can never be sure." 

 **“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.** **”**  

“Does anyone?” Thalia, said. 

A stupid, annoying jock named Zack, who was in the audience, said, “Why wouldn’t you want to be a half-blood? That would be so cool!” 

“Because more than half of the demigods in the world die from monster attacks, no training, and wars.” 

“How do you know?” 

“If you’re so smart, why don’t you figure it out yourself? And anyways, considering that this is Seaweed Brain’s life, you should probably figure it out soon enough.” 

The smarter people in the audience had either already figured it out or were close to it, however, many didn't understand Percy was talking about himself being a half-blood. 

 **“If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is:** **”**  

“No! Cover your ears! Seaweed Brain is giving advice!” Nico screamed while hiding behind Thalia. 

Thalia shoved him away, ran behind one of the chairs 

“What’s so bad about Percy’s advice?” Mark asked. 

“Because, outside of battle, Percy only gives horrible advice.” 

Lola's brow wrinkled, and she whispered, "Battle," to herself, confused. 

“Hey! It’s not that bad!” Percy whined and pouted. 

“Yes. Yes it is.” 

 **“** **close** **this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.** **”**  

“Huh. That wasn’t half bad.” 

“See? I told you it wasn’t that bad.” 

 **“Being a half-blood is dangerous.** **”**  

“Check,” Leo, said. 

 **“It’s scary.”**  

“Double check.” 

 **“** **Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.** **”**  

“Triple check.” 

“It can’t be that bad,” Oliver said. 

“Oh yes it is,” Piper replied. 

 **“If you’re a normal kid, reading this because you think** **it’s** **fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.** **”**  

“Don’t all half-bloods,” said Thalia. 

 **“But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it’s only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they’ll come for you.** **”**  

“Geez, Perce, you make it sound like the F.B.I. is after us.” 

 **“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.** **”**  

“You didn’t warn us,” Leo crowed. 

“Shut up Repair Boy.” 

 **“My name is Percy Jackson.** **”**  

“Naw. It’s Peter Johnson,” said Leo. 

“Finally! Someone else gets it right!” Dionysus said, playing with a Diet Coke can. 

Everyone just stared at him until he looked up and said, “What?” 

 **“I’m twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.**  

 **“Am I a troubled kid?** **”**  

“YES!” all the demigods except for Percy yelled. 

“Hey!” Percy said and pouted. 

 **“Yeah. You could say that.** **”**  

“See? He even admitted it!” Leo said back. 

“Hello? _He_ is right here!” 

 **“I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan— twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.** **”**  

“Ugh. That sounds like torture,” Poseidon, who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and bermuda shorts, as per usual, said, which made Reyna, who was reading, laugh. 

 **“I know—it sounds like torture.** **”**  

“Ha! The similarities between you two are scary sometimes.” 

 **“** **Most Yancy field trips were.**  

 **“But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.**  

 **“Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn’t think he’d be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn’t put me to sleep.**  

“You sleep in class?” Annabeth said dangerously to Percy. 

“Um, a little?” 

“What do you have to say for yourself?” 

“Sorry?” 

Reyna started reading again to stop any other people from fighting. 

 **“I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn’t get in trouble.** **”**  

“Like Seaweed Brain could stay out of trouble.” 

 **“Boy, was I wrong.**  

 **“See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn’t aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that** **...** **Well, you get the idea.** **”**  

“No! Keep going!” Leo wailed. 

“Don’t worry, man. I’ll tell you the rest later.” 

“I’m going to kill you Kelp Head,” Thalia said. “I swear. If you give him any more ideas…” 

 **“This trip, I was determined to be good.** **”**  

“Ha, that’s a joke,” Grover said. 

 **“All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.** **”**  

All the demigods tensed. 

 **“Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must’ve been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled.** **”**  

“Wow, thanks. Great way to describe your best friend.” 

“Sorry, G-Man.” 

 **“** **He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don’t let that fool you. You should’ve seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.** **”**  

“Grover,” Thalia groaned. 

“Way to blow your cover, dude,” Jason said and clapped him on the back. 

 **“Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn’t do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death** **”**  

“WHAT?” Poseidon yelled. 

“Calm down. Keep reading, Reyna,” Percy said. 

 **“** **by** **in-school suspension** **”**  

“Oh,” Poseidon mumbled, looking embarrassed. 

 **“** **if** **anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.** **”**    
“Well, that’s no fun,” said Leo. 

 **“‘I’m going to kill her,’ I mumbled.** **”**  

“Yes! Finally! Some action!” said Ares. 

 **“Grover tried to calm me down. ‘It’s okay. I like peanut butter.’** **”**  

“Tyson probably likes peanut butter better.” 

 **“He dodged another piece of Nancy’s lunch.**  

 **“‘That’s it.’ I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.**  

 **“‘You’re already on probation,’ he reminded me. ‘You know who’ll get blamed if anything happens.’**  

 **“Looking back on it, I wish I’d decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would’ve been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.** **”**  

“Mysterious much?” 

 **“Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.**  

 **“He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.**  

 **“It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.** **”**  

“Longer,” sang Annabeth and Athena. 

 **“He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told** **them** **to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**  

 **“Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.** **”**  

“Hum. Was that Percy’s fault?” asked Mr. Blofis. 

“Nope. The Mist,” said Grover. 

“What’s mist?” said a kid somewhere in the audience. 

“The Mist. Not mist. And considering this is Percy’s life, there should be an explanation somewhere. Basically any questions you have should be answered in the books.” 

 **“From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, “Now, honey,” real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.**  

 **“One time, after she’d made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn’t think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, “** **‘You** **’re absolutely right.’** **”**  

“Really, Grover? Really?” 

 **“Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.**  

 **“Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, ‘Will you shut up?’** **”**  

“Knowing Perce, it probably came out louder than he meant it to,” said Grover.  

 **“It came out louder than I meant it to.** **”**  

“Knew it!” 

“No one said you didn’t.” 

“Shut it.” 

 **“The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.**  

 **“‘Mr. Jackson,’ he said, ‘did you have a comment?’**  

 **“My face was totally red. I said, ‘No, sir.’**  

 **“Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. ‘Perhaps you’ll tell us what this picture represents?’**  

“How much you wanna bet that he doesn’t know it? 5 drachmas,” Leo said to Piper.  

“You’re on. He definitely knows this.” 

 **“I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. ‘That’s Kronos eating his kids, right?’** **”**  

“Of course it would be that one.” 

“Hem. Leo, I believe you owe me.” 

 **“‘Yes,’ Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. ‘And he did this** **because** **...** **’**  

 **“** **‘Well** **...** **’ I racked my brain to remember.** **‘Kronos was the king god, and—’”**  

“Excuse me!” said Zeus. 

“Calm brother. I’m sure that Chi-Mr. Brunner will correct him.” 

 **“‘God?’ Mr. Brunner asked.**  

 **“‘Titan,’ I corrected myself. ‘And** **...** **he didn’t trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfi** **ng up his brothers and sisters—’”**  

“Ew!” said some girls in the audience. 

 **“‘Eeew!’ said one of the girls behind me.**  

 **“‘—** **and** **so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans,’ I continued, ‘and the gods won.’** **”**  

Athena’s jaw dropped. “Did he just summarize the biggest war in history in five sentences?” 

“That’s Percy for you,” Annabeth said and smiled. “He has serious talent in stuff like this.” 

 **“Some snickers from the group.** **”**  

“Why?” Athena asked. “He actually got it right!” 

Poseidon sighed. “You have a lot to learn about mortals, Athena. Most don’t even care about learning these days.” 

 **“Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, ‘Like we’re going to use this in real life. Like it’s going to say on our job applications, “Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.”’**  

 **“‘And why, Mr. Jackson,’ Brunner said, ‘to paraphrase Miss Bobofit’s excellent question, does this matter in real life?’** **”**  

“Busted,” Nico said. 

 **“‘Busted,’ Grover muttered.** **”**  

“Oh no! I think like Goat Boy!” 

“Hey!” 

“What do you mean by Goat Boy?” asked a mortal from the audience. 

“Again, and for the last time, since this is Percy’s life, you’ll freaking find out!” yelled Leo, kind of annoyed by all the questions.  

 **“‘Shut up,’ Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.**  

 **“At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.** **”**  

“Or horse ears,” Annabeth mumbled. 

 **“I thought about his question, and shrugged.** **‘I don’t know, sir.’** **”**  

“And there you have it people,” Leo crowed. “A typical Percy Jackson answer for you.” 

 **“‘I see.’ Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. ‘Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan’s stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it’s time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?’**  

 **“The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.** **”**  

“Don’t they always,” said Artemis. 

“Hey!” said all the male gods and demigods.  

 **“Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, ‘Mr. Jackson.’**  

 **“I knew that was coming.**  

 **“I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. ‘Sir?’**  

 **“Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn’t let you go— intense brown eyes that could’ve been a thousand years old and had seen everything.** **”**  

“Wow. You’re observant,” said Athena 

“Is that a compliment from Bird Brain to…Seaweed Brain? Mark the moment!” 

“Shut up Repair Boy.” 

 **“‘You must learn the answer to my question,’ Mr. Brunner told me.**  

 **“‘About the Titans?’**  

 **“‘About real life. And how your studies apply to it.’**  

 **“‘Oh.’** **”**  

“And there’s another typical Percy Jackson answer for you.” 

“Shut up Leo.” 

 **“‘What you learn from me,’ he said, ‘is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.’**  

 **“I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**  

 **“I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: ‘What ho!’ and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C– in my life. No—he didn’t expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn’t learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.**  

 **“I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he’d been at this girl’s funeral.** **”**  

“Probably was,” Annabeth mumbled sadly. Percy kissed the top of her head comfortingly. 

 **“He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**  

 **“The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**  

 **“Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I’d ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York** **state** **had been weird since Christmas. We’d had massive** **snow storms** **, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn’t have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.** **”**  

“What were you two mad at each other for,” Jason groaned at Zeus and Poseidon. 

“Uh, Jase, look at the name of the book.” 

“Oh. Right.” 

 **“Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady’s purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn’t seeing a thing.**  

 **“Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn’t know we were from that school—the school for loser freaks who couldn’t make it elsewhere.** **”**  

“Hey Grover?” 

“Yeah Perce?” 

“Did it work?” 

“Nope.” 

 **“‘Detention?’ Grover asked.**  

 **“‘Nah,’ I said. ‘Not from Brunner. I just wish he’d lay off me sometimes. I mean—I’m not a genius.’**  

 **“Grover didn’t say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, ‘Can I have your apple?’** **”**  

The hall broke into laughter as Grover blushed. 

 **“I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.** **”**  

“WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH PERCY JACKSON?” Thalia screamed. 

“Wait why?” asked someone in the audience. 

“Because Percy has the biggest appetite of all of us and more.” 

 **“I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom’s apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn’t seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She’d hug me and be glad to see me, but she’d be disappointed, too. She’d send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn’t be able to stand that sad look she’d give me.** **”**  

“Mama’s boy!” said Ares. 

“Should I remind you that you are the one who still lives with his mother?” said Annabeth condescendingly. 

“Right,” he said and blushed. He actually BLUSHED. 

 **“Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized café table.** **”**  

“I really need to make one of those,” Leo said. 

 **“I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she’d gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover’s lap.**  

 **“‘Oops.’ She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**  

 **“I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, ‘Count to ten, get control of your temper.’ But I** **was so mad my mind went blank.”**  

“Uh oh.” 

“Why ‘uh oh’?” 

“Mad Percy is something you don’t want against you.” 

 **“** **A wave roared in my ears.**  

 **I don’t remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, ‘Percy pushed me!’**  

 **“Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**  

 **“Some of the kids were whispering: ‘Did you see—** **’**  

 **“‘—** **the** **water—** **’**  

 **“‘—** **like** **it grabbed her—** **’”**  

“Whoa, you did stuff before you even got to camp?” Jason asked. 

“Well, I didn’t know.” 

“Hey Grover, if you saw Percy doing the…thing, why didn’t you just tell us? It would have saved us a lot of trouble in figuring out his…uh…person.” 

“I kinda forgot! I was kind of freaked out after that! You’ll see why, so don’t even ask.” 

 **“I didn’t know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.**  

 **As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I’d done something she’d been waiting for all semester.**  

"That's cuz you did," said Grover. 

 **"** **‘Now, honey—** **’**  

 **“‘I know,’ I grumbled. ‘A month erasing workbooks.’** **”**  

“NO! Percy! Never guess the punishment!” you-can-guess-who/Repair Boy said. 

 **“That wasn’t the right thing to say.**  

 **“‘Come with me,’ Mrs. Dodds said.**  

 **“‘Wait!’ Grover yelped. ‘It was me. I pushed her.’**  

 **“I stared at him, stunned. I couldn’t believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**  

 **“She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**  

 **“‘I don’t think so, Mr. Underwood,’ she said.**  

 **“‘But—** **’**  

 **“‘You—will—stay—here.’**  

 **“Grover looked at me desperately.**  

 **“‘It’s okay, man,’ I told him. ‘Thanks for trying.’** **”**  

“Yeah G-Man. Thanks for trying.” 

 **“‘Honey,’ Mrs. Dodds barked at me. ‘Now.’**  

 **“Nancy Bobofit smirked. I gave her my deluxe I’ll-kill-you-later stare.** **”**  

The demigods shivered. A kid in the audience 

 **“** **Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn’t there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**  

 **“How’d she get there so fast?**  

 **“I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I’ve missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.** **”**  

“I’m not so sure,” said Annabeth. 

 **“I wasn’t so sure.** **”**  

“EY-OH!” 

“Shut up Leo.” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

 **“I went after Mrs. Dodds.** **”**  

“NO! Don’t do it Percy!” 

“Dude, Leo, you’re talking to a book.” 

“Right, sorry, Jase.” 

 **“Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between** **me and Mr. Brunner,** **like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**  

“You noticed that?” 

“Yep.” 

“Hmm. He is very observant for a sea spawn.” Athena thought to herself. 

 **“I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**  

 **“Okay, I thought. She’s going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.** **”**  

“No, Percy. Just no,” said Nico, shaking his head. 

 **"But apparently that wasn't the plan."**  

"It never is!" grumbled Piper to herself. "Why isn't it ever the plan? Stupid monsters." 

 **"I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**  

 **"Except for us, the gallery was empty.**  

 **"Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling."**  

"Dude, really? I would have high-tailed my a-" 

"Language!" 

"Yes, Lady Athena." 

 **"Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize** **it** **...** **"**  

"She probably did," mumbled Hades, who started backing away, far enough from strangling range from Poseidon and the demigods. 

 **"'You've been giving us problems, honey,' she said.**  

 **"I did the safe thing. I said, 'Yes, ma'am.'"**  

"Whoa. Wait a sec. Did Percy just do the... safe thing?" said Nico, super sarcastically, surprising most of the audience, who all thought he was emo or goth and didn't have a sense of humor. 

Percy stuck his tongue out at him. 

 **"She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. 'Did you really think you would get away with it?'**  

 **"The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**  

 **"She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**  

 **"I said, 'I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am.'**  

 **"Thunder shook the building."**  

"Dude, you really have  _got_  to stop doing that! Don't be such a drama queen all the time." 

 **"'We are not fools, Percy Jackson,' Mrs. Dodds said. 'It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain.'"**  

"Uh, what?" asked Frank, who was rather quiet until then. 

"Wait, is this Percy's first monster?" asked Hazel. "He never talks about it." 

"Yeah," said Grover. 

 **"I didn't know what she was talking about.**  

 **"All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room."**  

"Dude, really? That's genius!" Hermes exclaimed and high-fived Percy. 

 **"Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book."**  

"Percy?" 

"Yes?" 

"What do you think we're doing when we get out of this blasted place?" 

"Uh... what?" 

"Reading  _Tom Sawyer_!" 

"Oh gods, please save me." 

 **"'Well?' she demanded.**  

 **"'Ma'am, I** **don't** **...** **'**  

 **"'Your time is up,' she hissed.**  

 **"Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons."**  

Poseidon's anger flared, and he roared, "Hades! You sent a FURY after m-" 

The rest of his words were muffled by Zeus's hand, who told him that the mortals didn't know yet, which only made them become more curious. 

"Sorry?" said Hades, more like a question. 

 **"Then things got even stranger."**  

"Is that even possible?" asked someone from the audience. 

"Just wait and watch," said Percy. 

 **"Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**  

 **"'What ho, Percy!' he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air."**  

"Oh," said the same person from the audience. 

 **"Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.**  

 **"With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**  

 **"Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.**  

 **"My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**  

 **"She snarled, 'Die, honey!'"**  

Leo started laughing uncontrollably. Everyone else just stared at him. 

He said, broken by his laughs and gasps for air, "I just—imagined—her throwing—herself at—honey, yelling, "Die, honey," to it. 

 **"And she flew straight at me.**  

 **"Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally:"**  

"Run?" said some mortal from the audience. 

"Nah. Knowing Percy, it's probably swinging the sword," said Jason. 

 **"I swung the sword."**  

"Told ya." 

 **"The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!**  

 **"Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me."**  

"That was creepy." 

 **"I was alone.**  

 **"There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.**  

 **"Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**  

 **"My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something."**  

"Hey Jason, do you think I could get Katie to make me some of those?" asked Leo. 

 "Leo! No!" 

 **"Had I imagined the whole thing?**  

 **"I went back outside.**  

 **"It had started to rain.**  

 **"Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, 'I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt.'"**  

"Who?" asked Poseidon. 

 **"I said, 'Who?'"**  

"Ha! Ironic!" Grover sang. 

 **"'Our teacher. Duh!'**  

 **"I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.**  

 **"She just rolled her eyes and turned away.**  

 **"I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.**  

 **"He said, 'Who?'"**  

"Grover can lie?" 

 **"But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me."**  

"Never mind." 

 **"'Not funny, man,' I told him. 'This is serious.'**  

 **"Thunder boomed overhead."**  

"Seriously, drama queen?" 

 **"I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.**  

 **"I went over to him.**  

 **"He looked up, a little distracted. 'Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson.'"**  

"Jeez, Chi-Mr. Brunner seriously knows how to lie!" 

 **"I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.**  

 **"'Sir,' I said, 'where's Mrs. Dodds?'**  

 **"He stared at me blankly. 'Who?'**  

 **"'The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher.'**  

 **"He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. 'Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?'"**  

"And that's a wrap! This chapter is done," Reyna said. "Thank the gods!"  

"Okay!" Apollo said, clapping his hands. "Who wants to read next." 

“I will,” said Artemis. 

There was a bright flash of light, and there stood... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should update soon! I just need a bit of time because I'm super busy this summer in general. This week, I have an all day camp. The rest of the summer, before and after this week I have an internship to go to.  
> My coming school year is senior year, so I'm really busy with trying to get a bunch of stuff ready for that and my cousin's wedding that's coming up Dx  
> I know that's a whole ton of excuses, but I'm super sorry about not being able to update super often. I promise to try harder to update more often Dx


	4. Chapter 2: Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to any people who are fans of both PJO and kpop and maybe HP (just because :D) out there :)  
> I know my username is telltale, but I'm total kpop trash xD  
> Comment if you're a fan of both!!

3rd Person P.O.V. 

“Who wants to read next?” 

“I will,” said Artemis. 

There was a bright flash of light, and there stood the Stoll brothers, looking rather confused. 

They looked around, whispering to themselves, until their eyes reached the demigods and the gods. The duo still looked slightly confused, but they seemed to understand that nothing was totally wrong if their family and friends were there and perfectly fine. 

“What’s –” 

“– going on?” 

“We’re reading about Percy’s life from right before he started coming to camp. Introduce yourself,” said Hermes. He said the next part more quietly, “Don’t include your titles. The mortals don’t know about you guys being demigods yet.” 

“Okay,” the two said together and introduced themselves. 

“Okay, good enough. Now we’ll begin,” said Zeus, still oddly happy. 

“Can I start now?” Artemis asked, kind of annoyed. 

“Yes, begin.” 

 **“Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death”**  

“Percy.” 

“Yes, Annabeth?” 

“Tell me they aren’t who I think they are.” 

“Uh…” 

 **“I** **was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me.** **”**  

“Hey Leo,” said Travis. 

“You think we could –” said Connor. 

“– do something like –” 

“NO!” 

“Sorry, Annabeth, we won’t do it to anyone,” they said in unison, but still grinned mischievously. 

 **“** **The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr—a perky blond woman whom I’d never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip—had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.**  

 **“** **Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.** **”**  

“You are psycho.” 

“Thanks, Leo.” 

 **“** **It got so I almost believed them—Mrs. Dodds had never existed.**  

 **“** **Almost.** **”**  

“How much you wanna bet that it was Grover’s fault?” 

“I’m not betting anything. It definitely was Grover’s fault.” 

“Hey!” 

 **“** **But Grover couldn’t fool me.** **”**  

“See, Grover?” 

 **“** **When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn’t exist.** **”**  

“Hey, Travis?” 

“Yeah, Connor?” 

“Put down Grover –” 

“– for lying lessons? I got it.” 

 **“** **But I knew he was lying.**  

 **“** **Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.**  

 **“** **I didn’t have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.** **”**  

“Wimp,” said an annoying kid, who enjoyed mocking Percy when he was at school, in the audience. 

Piper retaliated, “Oh yeah? You try fighting a Fury as your first mommmfgh –,” before Jason smothered her mouth to keep her from giving their secret away too soon, as though no one knew. 

The smarter kids had figured it out by now and were completely incredulous that Percy, their dumb-acting friendly swim team captain was a demigod and _no one knew_. Not even his closest friends there, yet people still kept asking them if they had known. 

“Fury? What’s that mean?” 

“You’ll find out soon,” was all Annabeth said in return, rather mysteriously. 

 **“** **The freak weather continued, which didn’t help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room.** **”**  

Poseidon glared at Zeus, annoyed. 

 **“** **A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only** **fifty miles from Yancy Academy.”**  

“Definitely not a coincidence.” 

“Oh really? No schist.” 

“Schist? What’s that?” 

“A precious metal. No more questions.” 

 **“** **One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.** **”**  

“You guys have to seriously work on your anger issues!” 

 **“** **I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.**  

 **“** **Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I sn** **apped. I called him an old sot.”**  

“What’s an old sot?” asked Leo. 

Annabeth and Athena laughed a bit before Annabeth answered, “It means an old drunk.” 

“Oh, so basically Mr. D.” 

Dionysus looked up from the diet coke can he was holding. “Huh?” 

“Nothing.” 

 **“** **I wasn’t even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.** **"**  

Piper laughed. "Sounds like Percy, alright." 

 **“** **The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.**  

 **“** **Fine, I told myself. Just fine.**  

 **“** **I was homesick.**  

 **“** **I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.** **”**  

“Paul, you play poker?” asked Hazel. 

“No, this was Percy’s first stepdad.” 

Some mean girl blurted out from the audience, “Wow, Percy, your mom must seriously get around.” 

Percy turned his eyes towards her and gave her a wolf-glare worthy of Lupa herself. The rest of the demigods and gods also glared at her, fingering their own separate hidden weapons. 

“Do. Not. Insult. My. Mother. She is the best person in the world.” 

 **“** **And yet** **...** **there were things I’d miss at Yancy.** **The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees.** **I’d miss Grover, who’d been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he’d survive next year without me.** **”**  

“Thanks for your faith, Perce.” 

“Sorry, G-man.” 

 **“** **I’d miss Latin class, too—Mr. Brunner’s crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.**  

 **“** **As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn’t forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d started to believe him.** **”**  

“Good boy.” 

 **“** **The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room.** **”**  

Athena glared at Percy, who hid behind Annabeth. People in the audience were wondering how his emotions could change so fast, from anger to annoyance to amusement to fear and back to amusement. 

 **“** **Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards.** **”**  

“How do you come up with these things?” asked Leo between laughs. 

 **“** **There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon** **, or Polydictes and Polydeuces.”**  

“Well, now you do,” whispered Annabeth into Percy’s ear. 

 **“** **And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.**  

 **“** **I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.**  

 **“** **I remembered Mr. Brunner’s serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.**  

 **“** **I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.**  

 **“** **I’d never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn’t want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn’t tried.** **”**  

“You know that Ch-Mr. Brunner never would have thought that.” 

“I didn’t know it then.” 

 **“** **I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner’s door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.**  

 **“** **I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover’s said** **‘** **...** **worried about Percy, sir.** **’**  

 **“** **I froze.**  

 **“** **I’m not usually an eavesdropper, –”**  

“Yeah, right!” 

“What’s that supposed to mean,” Percy said, pouting. 

“You remember, the first year I went to camp, at night, when Zoe and m-my sister were talking to Mr. Brunner? You were eavesdropping then.” 

“That was different. It was about Annabeth.” 

 **“–** **but** **I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.** **”**  

“Well, true.” 

 **“** **I inched closer.**  

 **“** **‘** **...** **alone** **this summer,** **’** **Grover was saying.** **‘** **I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **We would only make matters worse by rushing him,** **’** **Mr. Brunner said.** **‘** **We need the boy to mature more.** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline—** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he s** **t** **ill can.** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **Sir, he saw her** **...** **.** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **His imagination,** **’** **Mr. Brunner insisted.** **‘** **The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that.** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **Sir, I** **...** **I can’t fail in my duties again.** **’** **Grover’s voice was choked with emotion. “** **‘** **You know what that would mean.** **’** **”**  

“Hey! Grover, you know that you didn’t fail! You brought Luke and I to camp and Thalia came along when-when she was ready. And it most definitely was not your fault that Luke did what he did.” 

“I know that _now_.” 

 **“** **‘** **You haven’t failed, Grover,** **’** **Mr. Brunner said kindly.** **‘** **I should have seen her for what she was. Now let’s just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall—** **’**  

 **“** **The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.** **”**  

“NO!” 

“Dude, I’m right here. And it was Grover and Mr. Brunner.” 

 **“** **Mr. Brunner went silent.**  

 **“** **My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.**  

 **“** **A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner’s office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer’s bow.**  

 **“** **I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.**  

 **“** **A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.**  

 **“** **A bead of sweat trickled down** **my neck.**  

 **“** **Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke.** **‘** **Nothing,** **’** **he murmured.** **‘** **My nerves haven’t been right since the winter solstice.** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **Mine neither,** **’** **Grover said.** **‘** **But I could have** **sworn** **...** **’** **”**  

“Did you sense-know he was there, Grover?” 

“Yeah, I was pretty sure.” 

 **“** **‘** **Go back to the dorm,** **’** **Mr. Brunner told him.** **‘** **You’ve got a long day of exams tomorrow.** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **Don’t remind me.** **’**  

 **“** **The lights went out in Mr. Brunner’s office.**  

 **“** **I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.**  

 **“** **Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.**  

 **“** **Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he’d been there all night.** **”**  

“Gods, Grover, so you can’t lie, but you can act?” 

 **“** **‘** **Hey,** **’** **he said, bleary-eyed.** **‘** **You going to be ready for this test?** **’**  

 **“** **I didn’t answer.**  

 **“** **‘** **You look awful.** **’** **He frowned.** **‘** **Is everything okay?** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **Just** **...** **tired.** **’**  

 **“** **I turned so he couldn’t read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.** **”**  

“You should know that wouldn’t have worked. I could tell you were…messed up at the time.” 

 **“** **I didn’t understand what I’d heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I’d imagined the whole thing.**  

 **“** **But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.** **”**  

“Not thought, Perce, knew.” 

 **“** **The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I’d misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.**  

 **“** **For a moment, I was worried he’d found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn’t seem to be the problem.**  

 **“** **‘** **Percy,** **’** **he said.** **‘** **Don’t be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It’s** **...** **it’s for the best.** **’**  

 **“** **His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids** **finishing the test could hear.** **Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.** **”**  

“I really want to punch that girl,” said Hazel, which was odd, considering it was cool, calm, quiet Hazel who wanted to punch someone. 

“Please don’t track her down and punch her just for this. It was all the way back in sixth grade. Grover and I have forgiven her, right Grover?” 

“Yeah! What he said.” 

“Fine. I won’t punch her, and neither will anyone else.” 

“Piper, do the honors, please?” 

“None of you guys will punch Nancy Bobofit,” she said, well, charmspoke to make sure none of the demigods or gods would go around to find and punch one person. The demigods from the Prophecy of Seven, Thalia, Nico, Reyna, and Rachel were much more protective of each other then they were before. 

 **“** **I mumbled,** **‘** **Okay, sir.** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **I** **mean** **...** **’** **Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn’t sure what to say.** **‘** **This isn’t the right place for you. It was only a matter of time.** **’**  

 **“** **My eyes stung.**  

 **“** **Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class,** **telling me I couldn’t handle it.** **After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I** **was destined to get kicked** **out.**  

 **“** **‘** **Right,** **’** **I said, trembling.**  

 **“** **‘** **No, no,** **’** **Mr. Brunner said.** **‘** **Oh, confound it all. What I’m trying to say** **...** **you’re not normal, Percy. That’s nothing to be—** **’**  

 **“‘** **Thanks,** **’** **I blurted.** **‘** **Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me.** **’**  

 **“** **‘** **Percy—** **’”**  

“Gosh Chi-Mr. Brunner sucks at pep talks,” said Frank. “Someone needs to teach him how to give one.” 

“Already put him down for it,” said Leo. 

 **“** **But I was already gone.**  

 **“** **On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.**  

 **“** **The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.** **”**  

“Excuse me?” asked Zeus, finally breaking his constant charade of excitement and happiness to show his annoyance. “You are not a nobody!” 

“Uh, sorry? And anyways, this was all the way back in sixth grade, like five or six years ago. It was before I knew.” 

No one wanted to ask what it was he knew as they knew their answer would be something about them finding out later. 

 **“** **They asked me what I’d be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.**  

 **“** **What I didn’t tell them was that I’d have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I’d go to school in the fall.**  

 **“** **‘** **Oh,** **’** **one of the guys said.** **‘** **That’s cool.** **’**  

 **“** **They went back to their conversation as if I’d never existed.** **”**  

Artemis interrupted herself, and said, “See? This is why most boys are no good,” and glared at the boys in the audience. 

She then corrected herself, “Sorry to some of those on stage. A few of you have earned my respect and trust.” 

 **“** **The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn’t have to. He’d booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.** **”**  

“Stalker much?” 

“Hey!” 

 **“During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he’d always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I’d always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.**  

 **“Finally I couldn’t stand it anymore.**  

 **“I said, ‘Looking for Kindly Ones?’** **”**  

“Knowing you, that would have freaked you out, Grover,” said Annabeth. 

“It kinda did.” 

“Sorry, Grover,” said Percy 

“It’s okay.” 

 **“Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. ‘** **Wha** **—what do you mean?’**  

 **“I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.**  

 **“Grover’s eye twitched. ‘How much did you hear?’** **”**  

“Just everything.” 

“Hey!” 

 **“‘Oh** **...** **not much. What’s the summer solstice deadline?’**  

 **“He winced. ‘Look, Percy** **...** **I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math** **teachers** **...** **’**  

 **“‘Grover—‘**  

 **“‘And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds,** **and** **...** **’**  

 **“‘Grover, you’re a really, really bad liar.’** **”**  

“Amen to that.” 

 **“His ears turned pink.**  

 **“From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. ‘Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.’**  

 **“The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes** **– ”**  

“Hey, why _are_ they so horrible?” asked Percy. “I never got to ask.” 

“I like torturing you guys,” said Dionysus. 

Everyone, even Athena, was confused. She whispered, “I didn’t even know he was listening.” 

 **“–** **but** **I finally made out something like:**  

 

 **“Grover Underwood**  

 **“Keeper**  

 **“Half-Blood Hill**  

 **“Long Island, New York**  

 **“(800) 009-0009**  

 

 **“‘What’s Half—** **’**  

 **“‘Don’t say it aloud!’ he yelped. ‘That’s my, um** **...** **summer address.’**  

 **“My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I’d never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.**  

 **“‘Okay,’ I said glumly. ‘So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion.’**  

 **“He nodded. ‘Or** **...** **or if you need me.’**  

 **“‘Why would I need you?’** **”**  

“Ooh harsh,” said the Stolls. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Percy said defensively. 

 **“It came out harsher than I meant it to.**  

 **“Grover blushed right down to his Adam’s apple. ‘Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you.’**  

 **“I stared at him.**  

 **“All year long, I’d gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I’d lost sleep worrying that he’d get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.**  

 **“‘Grover,’ I said, ‘what exactly are you protecting me from?’**  

 **“There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.**  

 **“After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we’d all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.**  

 **“We were on a stretch of country road—no place you’d notice if you didn’t break down there. On our side of the highway** **was** **nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon** **heat,** **was an old-fashioned fruit stand.**  

 **“The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I’d ever seen.** **”**  

Dangerously, Annabeth said, “Percy.” 

“Yes, ma’am?” Percy replied, well, kind of squeaked. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Uhm, well I didn’t really know them at the time? And they weren’t for me. You know, you saw them on my sixteenth birthday, remember?” 

He then whispered to her, “It was for Luke.” 

 **“I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.** **”**  

“Oh,” said Nico, who was scrunching up his eyes. “I get it. It’s _his_ isn’t it.” 

The last part was said to Percy and Grover, who both nodded. 

This made the rest of the people on stage understand. Hermes lowered his eyes, heavy with sadness. 

All of the people in the audience were annoyed to death, considering they couldn’t ask any questions, and if they did, they would be told the same thing, that they would learn later. They didn’t understand anything the people on stage were referencing. 

 **“All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.**  

 **“The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.**  

 **“I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.**  

 **“‘Grover?’ I said. ‘Hey, man—‘**  

 **“‘Tell me they’re not looking at you. They are, aren’t they?’**  

 **“‘Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?’**  

 **“‘Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all.’** **”**  

“Yes, Percy, not funny at all.” 

“Well, I didn’t know! Oh gods, Grover, you must have been freaking out even more than you showed because you actually _did_ know what was happening.” 

“Oh, I was. I _definitely_ was.” 

 **“The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.**  

 **“‘We’re getting on the bus,’ he told me. ‘Come on.’**  

 **“‘What?’ I said. ‘It’s a thousand degrees in there.’**  

 **“‘Come on!’ He** **pried** **open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.**  

 **“Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for—Sasquatch or Godzilla.** **”**  

“Really, Percy? You come up with the weirdest things.” 

 **“At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.**  

 **“The passengers cheered.**  

 **“‘Darn right!’ yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. ‘Everybody back on board!’**  

 **“Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I’d caught the flu.**  

 **“Grover didn’t look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.** **”**  

“What was going on?” 

“I actually have no idea. I think it was because of the people we saw, you know the old ladies,” replied Percy. 

He whispered the last part to the ceiling, “Sorry for calling you old ladies, Madam Fates.” 

 **“‘Grover?’**  

 **“‘Yeah?’**  

 **“‘What are you not telling me?’**  

 **“He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. ‘Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?’**  

 **“‘You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They’re not like** **...** **Mrs. Dodds, are they?’**  

 **“His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, ‘Just tell me what you saw.’**  

 **“‘The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn.’**  

 **“He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might’ve been crossing himself, but it wasn’t. It was something else, something almost—older.**  

 **“He said, ‘You saw her snip the cord.’**  

 **“‘Yeah. So?’ But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.**  

 **“‘This is not happening,’ Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. ‘I don’t want this to be like the last time.’**  

 **“‘What last time?’**  

 **“‘Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth.’** **"**  

"Grover that's creepy." 

 **“‘Grover,’ I said, because he was really starting to scare me.** **”**  

“Grover, you know you’re seriously freaky sometimes.” 

Grover sheepishly looked at the floor, ears turning pink. 

 **“** **‘What are you talking about?’**  

 **“‘Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me.’**  

 **“This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.**  

 **“‘Is this like a superstition or something?’ I asked.**  

 **“No answer.**  

 **“‘Grover—that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?’**  

 **“He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I’d like best on my coffin.”**  

“That’s the end,” said Artemis, then grumbled, “Finally.” 

“Ya know, Grover, you can really be freaky sometimes. You did _not_ know how to deal with people then.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I think I’ve learned since then though.” 

“Okay, okay, people,” shouted Apollo over other people talking. “Who wants to read next?” 

Paul looked around to see that no mortal really wanted to go near the stage and the people on stage really didn’t want to read, so he volunteered, and in the best way possible. 

“I volunteer as tribute!” he said (well, kind of shouted). 

As soon as he said that, there was a flash. After the flash died down, there stood…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated!!!  
> *bows*  
> Still, I'm so sorry for taking so long Dx  
> To any kpop fans out there, I've been listening to "Alive" by VIXX like on repeat. It's from the Moorim School OST. It's not on the iTunes store, at least in America, which is unfortunate, but I found it, and I have it, and it's absolutely amazing, and everyone should listen to it.  
> Bookmark, subscribe, and kudos if you liked it!


	5. Chapter 3: Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip to Montauk, the storm, and Grover expectedly losing his pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many little Percabeth moments in this :) cuz OTP lol  
> By the way, I'm really sorry about having you guys wait for so long :/  
> I know this is a sucky chapter for having so long to work on it, but I've seriously been so swamped with work Dx  
> Thankfully, it's second semester senior year, and I've already been accepted to the school I want to go to, so yay! I can work on the story a lot more now until May!  
> Heads up, by the way: I'm going out of country from May 9th until June 6th and I'm not sure if I'll get internet, so I might not be able to post then either, but I'll try!  
> Wish me luck for the rest of the school year!  
> 파이팅! [Fighting!]

Chapter 3: Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants 

3rd Person P.O.V. 

Apollo shouted over the clamor, "Who wants to read next?" 

Paul looked around to see that no mortal really wanted to go near the stage and the people on stage really didn't want to read, so he volunteered, and in the best way possible. 

"I volunteer as tribute!" he said (well, kind of shouted). 

As soon as he said that, there was a flash. After the flash died down, there stood Calypso, looking around, confusedly. 

This made Leo stand up and call her over the stage. 

All the boys in the audience were, to no one on stage's surprise, practically drooling over her as they were with the female demigods and most of the goddesses, which made Leo frown, bound over to Calypso, and kiss her on the cheek, making almost every guy in the audience groan in unison. 

Suddenly, there was another flash, which confused many of the people there, as before there had been only one flash signifying that someone had been teleported there. This time, the person who had arrived was none other than Sally Jackson. 

Percy stood up and yelled, “Mom!” while the rest of the demigods, who had all met her at some point in time, yelled, “Sally!” 

He pulled her over, onto to the stage, and gave her a hug. 

Sally looked around, confused and said, “Percy, what is going on?” 

Still clutching her for dear life, Percy replied, explaining the general gist of what was going on, speaking quietly for once. 

She sat to the side nearest to Paul, who also walked over to her and gave her a hug. 

Percy and Leo explained what was going on to Sally and Calypso, respectively. 

They both stood up and introduced themselves as “Sally Jackson-Blofis, mother of Percy Jackson,” and “Calypso.” 

 **“Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants.”**  

“Really, Perce?” asked Leo. 

“What? That’s when I found out… duh!” Percy replied childishly. 

"Wait, which thing did you find out?" 

"The barnyard thing." 

"Oh," Leo said and grinned devilishly 

Many people in the audience were getting increasingly annoyed with the "inside" information people on stage had. 

 **“Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.”**  

Annabeth glared and said, “Percy, that was rude. Apologize.”  

“But he was freaking me out!” 

“Percy.” 

“Okay. Sorry.” 

 **“I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering ‘Why does this always happen?’ and ‘Why does it always have to be sixth grade?’”**  

“Maybe it _was_ a little creepy.” 

“Ya think?” 

 **“Whenever he got upset, Grover’s bladder acted up, so I wasn’t surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.**  

 **“‘East One-hundred-and-fourth and First,’ I told the driver.**  

 **“A word about my mother, before you meet her.”**  

“She’s the best person ever!” cheered Thalia and Nico, together. 

 **“Her name is Sally Jackson and she’s the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five –”**  

“Zeus,” Annabeth hissed with narrowed eyes. “Apologize to Sally. Now.” 

Even Zeus was slightly scared of Annabeth when she was angry in that way, knowing she had gone through more in only the time she was in Tartarus than he had in his entire life put together, so he listened. 

“Sorry, Sally.” 

The people in the audience were staring wide-eyed at Annabeth, seeing that she had that much control over even the king of the gods. 

 **“– and she was raised by an uncle who didn’t care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.**  

 **“The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.”**  

“Aww,” came from the girls in the audience and from Aphrodite, of course. 

Sally and Poseidon blushed, Sally less than Poseidon, obviously. 

 **“I don’t have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn’t like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures.**  

 **“See, they weren’t married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.**  

 **“Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.”**  

“Hmm. You are very smart, Sally,” mused Athena. 

“Well, duh. She had me,” said Percy proudly, drawing an awkward silence to all the people in the auditorium who all knew that he could be rather, for lack of a better word, stupid at times. “Annabeth? Back me up?” 

Annabeth just smirked and patted his cheek, which was really not comforting him in any way. 

 **“She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn’t an easy kid.”**  

“No kidding,” came from Leo, making Percy pout. 

“What is it? Roast Percy Day?” 

“Ooh we should make that a thing!” 

 **“Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe.”**  

“I HATE HIM!” came from Percy, Annabeth, and Grover at the same time, making them high five each other. 

 **“I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.”**  

“Do I even _want_ to know how you know what that smells like?” asked Thalia. 

Percy just grinned rather mischievously while Hera and Aphrodite wrinkled their noses along with the rest of the girls in the auditorium, minus the others on stage, who had all smelled worse, especially Thalia. 

 **“Between the two of us, we made my mom’s life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good example.**  

 **“I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.**  

 **Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, ‘So, you’re home.’**  

 **“‘Where’s my mom?’**  

 **“‘Working,’ he said. ‘You got any cash?’”**  

“That’s it? No ‘Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?’” said Poseidon incredulously. 

This made Paul laugh slightly as he read ahead a few lines. 

 **“That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?**  

“Like father, like son…” mumbled some of the people on stage, quietly enough that the audience wouldn't hear. 

 **“Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.”**  

“EWW!” screamed Aphrodite. “He will never be handsome!” 

“Oh, you really don’t have to worry about that…” Sally said to Aphrodite, quietly enough that the rest of the mortals wouldn’t hear. Aphrodite only glanced at her questioningly. 

 **“He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don’t know why he hadn’t been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our ‘guy secret.’ Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out.”**  

Poseidon had to physically calm himself down. Sally was helping to calm him down, telling him, “Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out.” 

Even Paul was helping him to calm down on the other side, rubbing his back a bit before continuing reading. 

 **“‘I don’t have any cash,’ I told him.**  

 **“He raised a greasy eyebrow.**  

 **“Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should’ve covered up everything else.”**  

Athena looked at Sally knowingly, and then wrinkled up her nose at seeing her still comforting Poseidon. 

 **“‘You took a taxi from the bus station,’ he said. ‘Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?’**  

 **“Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. “‘Come on, Gabe,’ he said. ‘The kid just got here.’**  

 **“‘Am I right?’ Gabe repeated.**  

 **“Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.”**  

Most people either gagged or wrinkled their noses. 

 **“‘Fine,’ I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. ‘I hope you lose.’**  

 **“‘Your report card came, brain boy!’ he shouted after me. ‘I wouldn’t act so snooty!’**  

 **“I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn’t my room. During school months, it was Gabe’s ‘study.’ He didn’t study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.”**  

“That is actually nasty,” Leo said, accidentally setting his nose on fire, causing some audience members to freak out slightly (some a bit more than others). 

A few people screamed, and Leo said, “What?” 

“Your nose is on fire!” screamed someone from one of the front rows. 

“Oh oops…” he said and patted it out. Man it was embarrassing when that happened. 

 **“I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.**  

 **“Gabe’s smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady’s shears snipping the yarn.**  

 **“But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover’s look of panic—how he’d made me promise I wouldn’t go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone—something—was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.”**  

Zach, Percy’s hater, said, “What? You scared, Jackson?” 

“Actually, yeah, he was. It was damn smart of him, too. If he wasn’t scared of Al-, I mean, Mrs. Dodds, something would seriously be wrong with him. But by now, he’s gone through so much more than you could ever have dreamed up in your worst nightmares, so don’t even talk.” 

Zach shrunk in his seat at Annabeth’s scary voice while Percy just laughed and hid his face in her hair, his shoulders shaking from laughter. 

 **“Then I heard my mom’s voice. ‘Percy?’**  

 **“She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.**  

 **“My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She’s got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it’s like she’s seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I’ve never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe.”**  

“I honestly did not think that was even possible.” 

"Seriously, how did you not curse Gabe. At least once." 

Sally shrugged, knowing she would do anything to keep her son safe if she could. 

 **“‘Oh, Percy.’ She hugged me tight. ‘I can’t believe it. You’ve grown since Christmas!’**  

 **“Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in** **Grand Central. She’d brought me a huge bag of ‘free samples,’ the way she always did when I came home.**  

 **“We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings-"**  

"There's the blue," laughed Jason. Percy just grinned in response. 

 **"-she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn’t put in my letters. She didn’t mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn’t seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?**  

 **“I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her."**  

"Momma's boy," some stupid kid in the audience said, just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. 

Not at all bothered or hurt, Percy yelled back, "And proud of it." 

Annabeth smiled at him fondly and kissed his cheek. 

 **“From the other room, Gabe yelled, ‘Hey, Sally—how about some bean dip, huh?’**  

 **“I gritted my teeth.**  

 **“My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should’ve been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe."**  

Paul looked a little put out reading that until Percy laughed and said, "Or Paul because he's awesome," which put the smile back on Paul's face. 

 **“For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn’t too down about the expulsion. I’d lasted almost the whole year this time. I’d made some new friends. I’d done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn’t been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn’t seem so bad."**  

"Well, she does now." 

 **“Until that trip to the museum ...**  

 **“‘What?’ my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. ‘Did something scare you?’**  

 **“‘No, Mom.’**  

 **“I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid."**  

Annabeth softly whacked him over the head, and said, "You should have known better than that." 

Percy pouted and said, "But I was twelve." 

She kissed him on the cheek. "Baby." 

 **“She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn’t push me.**  

 **“‘I have a surprise for you,’ she said. ‘We’re going to the beach.’**  

 **“My eyes widened. ‘Montauk?’"**  

Poseidon had a slightly nostalgic look in his eyes, reminiscing when he met Sally on the beach. 

No one on stage missed the look in his eyes. Thankfully, most of the audience members did. 

 **“‘Three nights—same cabin.’**  

 **“‘When?’**  

 **“She smiled. ‘As soon as I get changed.’**  

 **“I couldn’t believe it. My mom and I hadn’t been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn’t enough money.**  

 **“Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, ‘Bean dip, Sally? Didn’t you hear me?’"**  

"I want to punch him," Poseidon said. Paul looked like he agreed, as did everyone else. 

 **“I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom’s eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.**  

 **“‘I was on my way, honey,’ she told Gabe. ‘We were just talking about the trip.’**  

 **“Gabe’s eyes got small. ‘The trip? You mean you were serious about that?’**  

 **“‘I knew it,’ I muttered. ‘He won’t let us go.’**  

 **“‘Of course he will,’ my mom said evenly. ‘Your stepfather is just worried about money. That’s all. Besides,’ she added, ‘Gabriel won’t have to settle for bean dip. I’ll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works.’**  

 **“Gabe softened a bit. ‘So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?’"**  

This made Aphrodite mad, and she growled, "What. Did. He. Say?" 

Hephaestus awkwardly patted her back, trying to comfort her. Surprisingly, it seemed to work slightly, and her rage simmered down a bit, so that she was just breathing slightly hard. Percy walked over and reminded her quietly of what happened to Gabe in order to calm her down further before sitting back down next to Annabeth. 

 **“‘Yes, honey,’ my mother said.**  

 **“‘And you won’t take my car anywhere but there and back.’"**  

Percy, Annabeth, Sally, Grover, and Thalia laughed at that. The audience and the people who weren't around at the time, except Thalia, were slightly confused. 

The demigods and gods knew something must have happened, as it _was_ Percy they were speaking of. 

 **“‘We’ll be very careful.’**  

 **“Gabe scratched his double chin. ‘Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip ... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game.’"**  

"Maybe if I kick you where the sun don't shine," Jason growled. All the demigods hated it when people were mistreated for any reason, as they all had been for different reasons at some point. 

 **“Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week."**  

"Hey Jason, you guys do think alike in situations other than ones similar to the one we were in recently," Leo said, his eyes crinkling up while he snuggled up to Calypso on their couch. 

 **“But my mom’s eyes warned me not to make him mad.**  

 **“Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?"**  

"For you, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth whispered and kissed his cheek. 

 **“‘I’m sorry,’ I muttered. ‘I’m really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now.’**  

 **“Gabe’s eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement."**  

"And Persassy returns!" came from the Stolls and Leo. 

 **“‘Yeah, whatever,’ he decided.**  

 **“He went back to his game.**  

 **“‘Thank you, Percy,’ my mom said. ‘Once we get to Montauk, we’ll talk more about … whatever you’ve forgotten to tell me, okay?’**  

 **“For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes—the same fear I’d seen in Grover during the bus ride—as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.**  

 **“But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip."**  

"Did she poison it?" asked Piper. 

"Unfortunately, no," said Sally, grinning devilishly. "But I did put laxatives in it." 

"I see where Percy gets it from." 

"Mom! When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?" 

 **“An hour later we were ready to leave.**  

 **“Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom’s bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking—and more important, his ’78 Camaro—for the whole weekend.**  

 **“‘Not a scratch on this car, brain boy,’ he warned me as I loaded the last bag. ‘Not one little scratch.’"**  

"Like he'd be the one driving," said Rachel. 

 **“Like I’d be the one driving."**  

Leo laughed at that. "You two _do_ think alike sometimes." 

Percy countered, "Well, when I was fourteen and we saw... Luke after he changed, we had the same thought. To deck him." 

He cuddled Annabeth a little closer to himself when he said that. 

 **"I was twelve. But that didn’t matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he’d find a way to blame me.**  

 **“Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can’t explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I’d seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he’d been shot from a cannon. Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn’t stay long enough to find out."**  

Athena frowned and said quietly, "He should not have been powerful enough to do that." 

Artemis, who was next to her, replied, "But you must remember, he was very powerful, even when untrained, and he was also the child of the prophecy." 

 **“I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.**  

 **“Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was** **always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in."**  

Annabeth shivered at the sound of the word spiders, however, she wasn't nearly as afraid of them as she used to be, ever since she met Arachne. 

 **“I loved the place.**  

 **“We’d been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. “She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she’d met my dad.**  

 **“As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.**  

 **“We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin’s windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.**  

 **“I guess I should explain the blue food."**  

Some kids in the audience said, "That would be nice." 

 **“See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This—along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano—was proof that she wasn’t totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me."**  

Piper grinned and said, "Well, it might also be in part because Ugliano is one of the grossest last names ever, but whatever." 

"Whatever," said Percy, pouting. 

"Plus, you don't have a rebellious streak, Percy," Thalia said, smirking. "You are rebellious. You just have a single half obedient streak." 

"Hey!" 

 **“When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.**  

 **“Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk—my father. Mom’s eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.**  

 **“‘He was kind, Percy,’ she said. ‘Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes.’"**  

Poseidon blushed a bit. 

 **“Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. ‘I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud.’**  

 **“I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years."**  

Annabeth facepalmed. "This kid." 

"I was twelve!" 

 **“‘How old was I?’ I asked. ‘I mean … when he left?’**  

 **“She watched the flames. ‘He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin.’**  

 **“‘But ... he knew me as a baby.’**  

 **“‘No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born.’**  

 **“I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... something about my father. A warm glow. A smile."**  

Percy whispered something to Annabeth, who nodded. 

She got up and went to Poseidon, whispering in his ear, "Just so you know, he doesn't feel this way anymore. He used to resent you, but he doesn't anymore. He understands. The only reason why he didn't get up to tell you himself was to keep his heritage from the kids in the audience for as long as possible." 

Percy, who had stretched his legs over the couch while Annabeth was up, had her sit down in his lap when she came back. Paul, who had stopped reading when Annabeth got up to talk to Poseidon, continued when she sat down. 

 **“I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I’d felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he’d never even seen me…**  

 **“I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He’d left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.**  

 **“‘Are you going to send me away again?’ I asked her. ‘To another boarding school?’**  

 **“She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.**  

 **“‘I don’t know, honey.’ Her voice was heavy. ‘I think … I think we’ll have to do something.’**  

 **“‘Because you don’t want me around?’"**  

"Ouch, harsh Perce," said Grover. 

"I didn't mean it... Sorry mom." 

Sally just smiled at Percy, who knew all was forgiven back when it happened first. 

 **"I regretted the words as soon as they were out.**  

 **“My mom’s eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. ‘Oh, Percy, no. I—I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away.’**  

 **“Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said—that it was best for me to leave Yancy.**  

 **“‘Because I’m not normal,’ I said.**  

 **“‘You say that as if it’s a bad thing, Percy. But you don’t realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you’d finally be safe.’**  

 **“‘Safe from what?’**  

 **“She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me—all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I’d tried to forget.**  

 **“During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away** **growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.**  

 **“Before that—a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I’d somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands."**  

A kid in the audience laughed and said, "Like Hercules!" 

Percy's head, along with many others' whipped around to stare at the kid. He said, "I. Will. Never. Be. Like. That. Piece. Of. Schist." 

The poor kid in the audience quickly apologized with his eyes wide open and his arms up in surrender. 

 **“In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.**  

 **“I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn’t make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn’t want that.**  

 **“‘I’ve tried to keep you as close to me as I could,’ my mom said. ‘They told me that was a mistake. But there’s only one other option, Percy—the place your father wanted to send you. And I just ... I just can’t stand to do it.’**  

 **“‘My father wanted me to go to a special school?’**  

 **“‘Not a school,’ she said softly. ‘A summer camp.’"**  

People in the audience, even those who had figured that Percy was probably a demigod, were getting more and more confused. _Why would his dad want him to go to a certain summer camp? How does that make any sense?_  

 **“My head was spinning. Why would my dad—who hadn’t even stayed around long enough to see me born— talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn’t she ever mentioned it before?**  

 **“‘I’m sorry, Percy,’ she said, seeing the look in my eyes. ‘But I can’t talk about it. I—I couldn’t send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good.’**  

 **“‘For good? But if it’s only a summer camp…’**  

 **“She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.**  

 **“That night I had a vivid dream."**  

Annabeth groaned, "Oh gods, no." 

Oliver asked, "What's wrong with him dreaming?" 

"His dreams suck." 

"Ya! Not always!" 

Annabeth gave him a look, everyone else on stage following suit. 

"Okay, maybe they do." 

 **“It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse’s muzzle with its huge talons. The horse** **reared up and kicked at the eagle’s wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder."**  

"Pluto?" Frank mouthed to Percy. 

"Nah," Percy said, waving him over. 

"Kronos," Annabeth whispered in Frank's ear when he came over, making his mouth open in an 'o' shape in realization. 

He went back to his and Hazel's shared couch and whispered the same thing back into her ear, Roman form, of course. 

 **“I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse’s wide eyes, and I screamed, No!**  

 **“I woke with a start.**  

 **“Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**  

 **“With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, “‘Hurricane.’**  

 **“I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten."**  

Hazel groaned, "Lord Neptune," dragging out the "u" sound. 

At the same time, Nico facepalmed, "Zeus." 

They both had the slight decency to look down sheepishly at their actions. 

 **"Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end."**  

Many people in the audience shivered at the sound. 

 **“Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice—someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.**  

 **“My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.**  

 **“Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn’t ... he wasn’t exactly Grover."**  

Many were confused. 

"What do you mean?" came from many audience members. 

Rachel was very annoyed by the audience members at this point. "Oh, by the gods. Seriously, you people. You. Will. Find. Out. Later." 

 **“‘Searching all night,’ he gasped. ‘What were you thinking?’**  

 **“My mother looked at me in terror—not scared of Grover, but of why he’d come.**  

 **“‘Percy,’ she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. ‘What happened at school? What didn’t you tell me?’**  

 **“I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.**  

 **“‘O Zeu kai alloi theoi!’ he yelled. ‘It’s right behind me! Didn’t you tell her?’”**  

“Before you ask, that means _‘By Zeus and the other gods’_.” 

 **“I was too shocked to register that he’d just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I’d understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten** **here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn’t have his pants on—and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be …"**  

"WHAT? Ugh, yell at me all you want, but I wanna know!" yelled a girl in the audience, who was entranced by the entire story so far _(oops, that's me)_. 

 **“My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she’d never used before: ‘Percy. Tell me now!’**  

 **“I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.**  

 **“She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, ‘Get to the car. Both of you. Go!’**  

 **“Grover ran for the Camaro—but he wasn’t running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.**  

 **“Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.”**  

Literally the entire audience was either sitting open-mouthed or simply staring in disbelief at the last sentence. 

Even the ones who had figured out as much as Percy being a demigod did not see that coming. They had thought that Grover would be a demigod, not a satyr. 

All at once, there was an uproar. 

Grover simply sighed. “Dramatic ending much, Perce?” 

“Well, sorry. Gosh. It's not like I wrote it.” 

Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel looked at each other, rolling their eyes at the level of noise coming from the audience. 

Piper counted to three and each demigod on stage (minus Percy because Blackjack might have come in response) whistled a shrill noise on three, including Leo with a orange construction site whistle from his tool belt. 

“Shut up, everyone!” yelled Annabeth. “Everything will be explained to everyone. Just be patient.” 

Everyone quickly quieted down out of fear. 

Right afterwards, a bright light flashed, and none other than Will Solace showed up in the auditorium. He was bent over, tying his shoelace. He looked up and blinked, surprised. 

“Uh, hey?” he said to the people on stage, confusedly gesturing towards the audience and silently asking what was going on. 

Nico went over and dragged him to his sofa on the stage with a whispered “Please don't ask everyone else right now. I’ll explain in a sec, don't worry.” 

And the auditorium stayed silent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N:

As you might be able to tell, Solangelo just  _might_ be coming in the next chapter *cue eye spasms that I call winks*

On another note, again, I'm really sorry about making y'all wait so long for this chapter! I hope that I can make up for it later by posting some really fucking awesome chapters soon!

And finally, I HAVE "PICK ME UP" BY I.O.I STUCK IN MY HEAD AND I'VE LITERALLY LISTENED TO THE SONG LIKE THREE TIMES Dx

Now I personally don't really care for most I.O.I songs other than "I Love You, I Remember You" from the Scarlet Heart OST, but watching Monsta X and BigBang's Daesung and G-Dragon dance to it is hilarious. If there are any people who don't mind watching videos with subtitles, I'd recommend watching the Monsta X Fan Heart Attack and Weekly Idol. It's hilarious. I'll link the vids with English subtitles below.......

[Monsta X Fan Heart Attack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBoiTdkGte8)

[Weekly Idol BigBang Ep. 284](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPzDz9JJ-UY)

[Weekly Idol BigBang Ep. 285](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0rQ3zR7ksU)

[I so blame @lost_things for almost everything I might post on here Monsta X related xD]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Don't be afraid to point out any mistakes, in grammar, or storyline :) I mean it, any way I can improve my writing, I'll take it.  
> Please subscribe, bookmark, and kudos if you like it :)

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it?  
> If there's anything I should change, or any grammar errors or anything, don't be afraid to point it out! If there's any way I can improve my writing, I'll take it :)


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